Tag: Todd Giannattasio

When it comes to growing your HR Tech company, there are a million things that will come up as ideas and plans and “must-dos” in order to get more customers.

But it really comes down to this…

Building a systematic process that you can rely on that will turn strangers into happy, loyal, paying customers.

This is not easy, but as long as you know your customers and your product, it doesn’t have to be complicated. And the more “noise” that gets added to the conversation, the further you are going to get from creating your path to success.

Your company might be able to gain some initial traction from your existing networks and connections, and leveraging some sporadic word-of-mouth, or maybe the novelty of being new to the market, but that will only get you so far.

That’s where your system comes into play.

3 Stages Of Focus To Get You Customers

The 3 main questions to focus on for the highest impact are simple:

How are we getting the attention of our target audience?

How are we turning that audience into permission-based leads? (meaning they have signed up and self-qualified as an ideal customer and given you permission to build a relationship with them)

How are we educating and motivating people to be excited to buy from us?

After those 3 things are accomplished, then you can build on top of them to grow at scale. But until you have these steps down and working profitably, you’ll be suffering from the dreadful sickness of Random Acts of Marketing. This leads to wasted time and money.

Not to fear! There is a simple cure…

A cure that will send out your dollars and efforts to bring back more of their friends. This cure is a systematic approach to launch, test, and improve your customer acquisition.

1. Getting Attention & Awareness

In this “top of the funnel” stage, you want to put yourself where your customers are hanging out and consuming information so that they start to find you and pay attention to what you have to say.

Online, this commonly takes place by publishing articles on your blog and then sharing them on social media using hashtags that are common for your industry. Then going out and connecting with your ideal customers on their preferred social media channels and striking up conversations with them with the main focus being to open a relationship and provide them value upfront.

As a byproduct, when you integrate SEO (Search Engine Optimization) into those blog posts, they’ll also help you start ranking on Google when people are searching common terms related to your products and services.

And with social media being the plumbing of today’s word of mouth, your blog content will help to fuel the sharing of people talking about you.

Get active in the online communities where your target customers are hanging out. Join in on the conversations and start adding value by listening and helping address the problems that they are having.

This activity will lead to visibility which will lead to opportunity.

2. Generating Permission-Based Leads

Now that you have their attention and your ideal customers are on your website (reading your blog posts), it’s time to move them along their customer journey and convert them from a visitor into a Lead.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that they are going to buy your brilliant product today, but it means they are a qualified candidate for becoming a great customer and successfully using your product.

Did you know that only 3% of a market is active buyers at any given time?

That means you need to focus on building those relationships with the other 97% so that when they become part of the 3% active buyers, you are there and ready and have already earned their trust and demonstrate your credibility.

This is how marketing is meant to be and how to make the sales process seamless.

3. Converting Leads Into Sales

You have driven awareness of your brand in your target market.

You’ve earned their attention.

You’ve gotten their permission to continuously provide them value before they become an active buyer.

Here is where you butter your bread.

With your follow up.

Once you have someone on your email list, it’s time to educate and motivate them, patiently and systematically, to meet with you when they are ready.

Send them messages regularly (at least once a week) that will add value to their life. Maybe that’s a quick email with a link to an article they’d find interesting, maybe it’s a new utility that will make their lives more convenient practically.

By sending out these emails, you are building a relationship with them so they Know, Like, and Trust you. The keys to making sales easy.

You’re also being persistent in a friendly way, so that when the time comes for them to move to their active buying stage, you are there with an easy way for them to get started.

Do You Have A System For Creating Customers?

By now, you should see the value in implementing a system for creating customers. Another byproduct that we didn’t touch on, but is very valuable, is that when you have a system, you can TEST what’s working and what’s not.

The elements in your system may not always be home runs. Most likely, very few will be. And it’s important to know this is not a one and done attempt. The system is reliable. The elements are what you need to test and improve.

Most social media ads fail on their first run, but that collects data for you to make the next campaign work. Maybe the original kind of blog posts you’re writing aren’t getting the attention of your audience. The offer you are making on your website might not convert a visitor into a Lead because it’s not intriguing or valuable enough from their perspective. Your email offers might not be irrefutable enough to motivate active buyers.

But when you have a system in place, you can see where there is a drop off and make improvements.

The system is the track to get your car on the road. Once you start driving, it’s easy to course correct.

But you can’t steer a parked car.

So take the time to focus on your 3 simple questions and put a system in place so that you can start testing and improving your customer acquisition and growing your HR Tech company more reliably and more profitably.

Like this:

First thing’s first: there’s a new Twitter-wielding President in town.

Second on the agenda: We lost too many noteworthy artists and influencers in 2016; so it’s on you to knock that off.

Third: there are these things called “millennials”—yeah, I know, nobody really has a firm grasp on the meaning. But you, my young, doe-eyed 2017, are all about getting this generation engaged and excited, pushing them to their limits!

Are you ready, 2017?

Because millennials are.

But they’ve been the ire of bad publicity for their job hoppiness and perceived disconnectedness from work.

…even after the office installed its fourth swirly slide.

The audacity.

But the nice thing about hindsight is that we can all look back and laugh, and maybe weep a little, at all the resources wasted on ball-pits, nap rooms, and arcade parlors.

Because, in hindsight, we can see where the problems emerged. Like, for instance, how it’s a bit insulting to spend money on frivolous niceties instead of the hired talent.

That’s where YOU come in, 2017!

Millennials WANT Professional Development Opportunities

Can somebody hand me a megaphone? Because a lot of management teams are dragging their feet on this.

Ahem… MILLENNIALS WANT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES.

Sorry for the yelling.

But it’s so very, very true.

A recent Gallup poll found that 87 percent of millennials, in fact, say development is important in a job. This factored highly into their attitudes toward retention too. And though they are practically yelling from the rooftops for growth opportunities (more so than any previous generation, mind you), most organizations simply aren’t listening.

In their defense, it is tough to hear over the sound of drills fastening bunk beds to walls (a huge liability).

But here’s the thing: the millennial workforce has matured. They simply aren’t quite as interested in “perks” as once believed. Forbes recently examined some Millennial (and Generation Z) workplace expectations and, under “workplace environment”, found that the majority wanted workplace flexibility.

Meaning they didn’t even want to be there all the time to utilize those really cool slides.

This really shouldn’t be shocking news. There are some very strange myths about millennials floating around cyberspace, but Forbes, again, dispels them using Occam’s razor.

In this Forbes article, you won’t find any nonsensical, conjured up perks to attract and retain millennials. The maturing workforce finds value, instead, in employee development and principles on which the organization was built.

In short: ensuring millennial employees are given the tools to excel each day, with potential for leadership nurturing, is a huge win for any management team.

How Should Organizations Increase Millennial Engagement?

Glad you asked, 2017!

In the past five years, there has been growth in employee development, however the oversight is lacking. Depending on the source du jour, professional development occurs informally at a rate somewhere between 70-80%.

The issue arises that the training millennials are receiving is not on track with the organization’s goals, growth, or principles in mind. And without context, millennials—and employees at large—are less likely to find value in any training mechanism.

Employee development starts with the foundations from which the organization was built. Take, for instance, the employee development strategies of Balance Point, a company that “prides itself on providing excellent customer service.”

In understanding this, their team collaborated in sessions to “hone in [their] people skills and… boost camaraderie and overall morale.”

Tailoring professional development to the organization’s foundations allows employees to focus on “the big picture” while strengthening the required skills to meet those goals.

But it simply cannot end there.

Technology to Keep Millennial Engagement Thriving

The near-constant evolution of Human Capital Management systems (HCMs) now emphasizes the employee’s journey as integral to the successes of the organization. Formal training and development opportunities are found in most HCMs, and should be integrated into the employee experience for greater engagement and retention.

The number of organizations implementing formal, streamlined training mechanisms will likely rise throughout 2017. The Employee Engagement Series conducted by Kronos, courtesy of Yahoo Finance, found that 95 percent of HR leaders admit that employee burnout is negatively impacting the workforce.

To counteract this disastrous figure, organizations will push for more ways to engage and retain talent, particularly millennials, who have raised their collective hand to its importance. It is time for management to heed the call and give them what they truly want.

Professional development may seem like another waste of resources (some organizations say, while on the phone with an espresso machine service technician) but the impact on retention, employee satisfaction, and leadership development will likely pay dividends.

If millennials are asking to be developed, the only logical solution is to give them precisely what they want.

Ok, 2017. Did you get all that?

Now take the ball and run!

And don’t you dare even think about touching a single angelic hair on Betty White’s head.

Like this:

Independent workers, or freelancers, have always been part of most industries. For years, professional writers and coders have thrived off temporary positions with multiple organizations. It was simply a game of leveraging an ever-expanding network to find new opportunities.

But in recent years it has caught on like wildfire.

A 2015 Intuit study predicts that by 2020, 40 percent of American workers, or an estimated 7.6 million, “will be regularly working as providers in the on-demand economy.”

While most of the country enjoys low unemployment figures, some questions linger: what will the workforce look like when more employees decide to work independently?

How will Human Resources technology adapt to as more workers turn freelance?

Most employers aren’t concerned with communication, expectation, and deliverables of freelancers. Recruiting and retaining top talent is, as always, at the top of their to-do list.

However, a recent Harvard Business Review article suggests that “Workers who possess strong technical, management, leadership, or creative abilities are best positioned to take advantage of the opportunity to create a working life that incorporates flexibility, autonomy, and meaning.”

In other words, the same top talent organizations are investing in securing.

From an Organization’s Perspective

Since its inception, independent contractors have been widely viewed as dispensable employees who work on one campaign and are then left to find new work. It had become an accepted form of management and, when needed, utilized to temporarily fill a gap in hiring or meet a deadline.

It was an agreement both parties had come to accept, if not begrudgingly on part of the contractor.

With steady-building numbers and a resounding voice, independent contractors are beginning to find themselves in a position to make more demands than ever before. The Wall Street Journal reports that “contractors and consultants… demand to be treated with dignity and almost as if they’re your employee,” vigorously shaking themselves of the former “disposable” identity they had come to loathe.

As more top talent takes the leap into independent work, organizations must reframe their perception of a contractor’s role within the organization—an interesting evolution to watch for in coming years.

An Overdue Evolution for Top Talent

Take the alarmist nature above with a grain of salt.

Employees who excel at their work are simply finding more opportunities; their energies focused on more challenging and interesting work benefits them—and it should.

Positioning themselves towards better financial tides, great talent receives the income, schedule, flexibility, and benefits they seek. In short: they’ve become entrepreneurs within their respected industries.

It may seem uncertain how organizations will grapple with the growing trend, however those who see the opportunities will benefit.

What Becomes of the Workforce?

There is still room for uncertainty, of course. The idea of a gig economy instills thoughts of empty offices, those left performing menial tasks while their contemporaries increase their personal value.

The simplest way to regard the consulting revolution is in terms of career advancement. The consultant has reached a new stage in their career and is flourishing.

This, of course, raises questions about benefits, employee relations, training, and more. Questions that HCM software will undoubtedly come to address as the gig economy continues its expansion.

Existing full-time employees will see benefits as well. As recruitment strategies begin to loosen, organizations will focus attention on retaining full-time employees they’ve already invested in. A recent Forbes article offers that “companies that invest as much time and resources in the development of their talent will be the real winners in the coming years.”

Likewise, candidates once overlooked by organizations will be reconsidered as their peers turn to consultant work. The gig economy can benefit every party involved, so long as organizations understand how to leverage the new workforce.

Let the Internal Talent Search Begin!

If the gig economy teaches us one thing, it’s that niche skills are sought by multiple organizations. Employees should (if they have not already) harness unique skillsets to gain from the new order—especially if they are full-time employees.

By harnessing known and new skill-sets, current employees may find themselves trained and nurtured to higher positions within an organization—especially as more and more explore independent work.

2017 inches us closer to before-mentioned Intuit predictions, and they are not likely to be off my much. Start the year off by refining crafted skills and exploring new ones.

Leadership is watching and determined to retain as many employees as possible.

Like this:

It’s a popular phrase tossed around by growing businesses. As more candidates are needed for steady growth, small and mid-sized business owners feel the strain to keep a firm grip on compliance while ensuring employees receive efficient and thorough transition into roles, up-to-date information and certifications, performance review procedures and follow-ups, job satisfaction, and so, so much more.

When your company is climbing from 20 to 50 to 100 employees, the need for true Human Resources can easily sneak up on you. Before you know it, you’re rushing to find answers to HR problems you hadn’t considered — and why would you? It’s not your area of expertise. And Google only helps so much…

When you add to the mix that millennials have officially overtaken Generation Xers as the largest generation in the U.S. labor force, organizations are scrambling to find, nurture, and retain top talent — and some demands must be met to preserve millennial employees.

But it’s not all nap-rooms and foosball tables.

As millennials reach professional maturity, they’re looking less for a “fun-zone” and more for a professional “safe-place” — that is to say, a workplace that understands their unique concerns, fears, motivations, and needs.

Organizations focusing on the employee experience are embracing their workforce in ways rarely seen in generations passed, a precedent that will undoubtedly play a much larger role as emerging generations build on this empowered foundation.

However, these same organizations are quickly finding snags along the way. From recruitment processes to off-boarding, ensuring employees receive professional value, satisfaction, and leadership nurturing add heavy workloads to an already hectic schedule.

We recently spoke with Pete Luciano, co-founder of Human Capital Management (HCM) provider Balance Point, about the pains most often discussed with clients about their processes. As Pete puts it, “Employees are your best assets. If the best talent for your organization is hired, trained, and given opportunities to succeed — and even fail productively — you’ll see growth before you know it.”

HCMs offer simple, cost-effective management solutions for these growing problems — but ultimately, the wealth they provide is up to the organization’s unique approach to the software.

Recruitment

Organizations are spending much more on recruiting top talent. Keeping a constant flow of viable candidates is difficult to manage, but an HCM remedies this time-blockage by continuously cataloguing candidates — even if organizations aren’t hiring at that second.

A potential candidate simply navigates to the website, uploads her/his resume, and fills out an application. From the organization’s perspective, managers can perform online applicant searches and track applicants throughout the hiring process.

Onboarding

As Pete says, “using an HCM to automate onboarding processes is administratively more sensible.” In days of yore, HR was responsible for collecting employee information and manually entering it into the organization’s system. With HCM software, the candidates are in control of their own information.

Prior to the start date, W4s, I-9s, employee handbooks, and other documents are accessed and filled out electronically. Giving new-hires access to their own information promotes transparency and trust within the organization — important standards for young people entering the marketplace.

Performance Reviews

Currently undergoing an evolution, performance reviews provide key insight into the successes and coaching necessary to successfully grow employees.

As mentioned in a recent HR Tech Weekly article, “Employees and their managers can work together on creating performance goals annually or bi-annually and track the progress and closure of the same with feedback and ratings as relevant.”

But every organization has a unique approach that speaks directly to their bottom lines.

HCMs automate performance reviews through tiered processes, measuring competency, goals, and the organization’s core values. Of course, HCMs are customizable in this way, giving each organization the opportunity to tailor performance reviews to their specific needs and standards.

HR, Time & Labor Management, Payroll

Giving employees access to their information, documents, pay grades, calendars, and benefits relieves HR of the time it takes to retrieve this information. Because HCMs are known for their simple, user-friendly interface, minimal training is needed to get employees up-to-speed and editing their information when necessary.

Building these workflows individually, without an HCM, takes time and can be cumbersome to navigate. Having everything located in one place makes it much easier for everybody, from leadership to employees, to manage and maintain.

Off-boarding

Employees retire, quit, or are terminated for many different reasons. Exit interviews offer insight into organizations through the lens of an employee who underwent the entire employee experience. Where are improvements needed? What can make the employee experience more appealing for future candidates?

What is done with the information gathered is ultimately up to the organization. However, HCM off-boarding processes ensure the organization gets its property back, terminates benefits, and ensures that nothing falls through the cracks. When it comes to Benefit/ACA reconciliation, people coming and going from the organization’s health insurance can either save or squander funds.

For small and mid-sized businesses looking for efficiency throughout the employee experience, an HCM provides cost-effective solutions to each facet of the employee’s journey while ensuring compliance, simple management, and real-time reporting.

See those questions above? Those are traditional interview questions (well, OK, minus one). And if your organization is using them, they’re likely passing on stellar talent because of archaic processes.

So let’s get this right out of the way, here and now:

Traditional interviews usually offer inaccurate reflections of a candidate because of too many close-ended questions.

Sure, they can tell you a little about a candidate, but “[they offer] very little to predict how they will perform if you should choose to hire them.”, according to Balance Point.

If you’re looking into incorporating behavioral interviewing questions (and you really should), then you’ll get the same insight retrieved through traditional means—plus indication into how they’ll perform as an employee.

What’s the Difference Between Traditional and Behavioral Interviewing?

A candidate can say whatever they’d like during an interview. Since we’re all trying to present ourselves in the best light, candidates should be expected to speak positively about themselves. If they don’t, refer them to a counselor—be the hero they need.

Traditional questions give candidates the leeway to say whatever they’d like without demonstrating abilities with professional examples.

Strengths? Well, I’m very motivated and passionate about the projects I work on. I’m punctual and hard-working. Hmm. Weaknesses? Well I guess I care too much. I’m almost, and I hesitate to say this, but I’m almost too hard-working.

If any hiring department is impressed by those answers, they deserve the employee they get.

Behavioral Interviewing Questions

Instead of vague questions that don’t speak to a candidate’s professional experience, behavioral interview questions crack that chestnut and get to the meat of the matter: what he/she has accomplished (or not), how he/she responded, and how those experiences impact their decisions now.

So what are some behavioral interviewing questions?

Describe a time when a client/customer was dissatisfied with your work/support.

How did the situation conclude?

Tell us about a time you led a project, how did it turn out?

How did you get your team to realize the project’s vision? How did you pull it all together?

Name a time when you and a coworker just couldn’t see eye-to-eye. How was the situation remedied?

Even without knowing about “traditional interview questions”, you can quickly tell that the responses to these will offer a boatload more insight into a candidate than any question posed during a traditional interview.

Seriously, Behavioral Interviewing is So Much Better

How much better?

Well, the Journal of Applied Psychology has done some very extensive research into this. And they found (courtesy of Omniview)…

Here’s a good rule to live by: if you’re given a 90% success rate regarding anything in this world, take it.

It just makes sense. Behavioral interviewing causes a potential candidate to reflect on their past experiences. It helps you to better understand the roles they’ve had, the details of those roles, any challenges and responses, and how they’ll carry those previous scenarios out in another organization.

Isn’t Behavioral Interviewing More Stressful on Candidates?

As opposed to talking about how great I am throughout the interview? Well, yes. You got me there.

And yeah, openly talking about failures and setbacks during a dream-job interview is rough.

Like this:

As marketers, we’re so often looking at the title “Millennial” as a golden egg – shining potential resting in our very hands that we’re unsure how to crack.

“Millennial” – it’s a word almost mystified, a world inside the word that encapsulates millions of people from around the globe.

A passionate, outspoken group with vast avenues for potential and growth.

Millennials.

Lazy, uninspired, and entitled.

No matter what comes to mind when you think of the Millennial generation, marketing teams have twisted themselves into knots trying to pitch brands and products to them. In fact, if you Google anything related to Millennials and marketing, you’ll quickly understand what I mean.

Between the copy-wars squabbling over Facebook and Snapchat, or whether Instagram is the true underdog to truly reach a Millennial crowd – wait, scratch that, Vine – you’re likely to leave more confused than before you began your search.

But the double-edged sword mentality regarding Millennials is part of the problem, too. On one hand, Millennials make up a HUGE population of people (a whopping 75.4 million according to Pew Research) whom marketers are chomping at the bit to gain credit with. On the other is the stereotype that Millennials are a lazy group without motivation or goals – that hiring them brings risks to your organization that you may not be willing to deal with.

So, essentially, we’d like to sell to Millennials while reducing their abilities – making it harder for them to find employment and make money to spend on the products that marketers have exhausted time and money in reaching them.

Social Media and Millennials

It’s no secret: Millennials are big into social media. A 2015 Pew Research survey found that a solid 90 percent of young adults (18-29) are the most likely to use social media. But who’s surprised by that figure?

More than that, most Millennials were born into a world already embracing and adapting to rapidly evolving technologies – including social media.

Unlike adults who quickly on-boarded when social media proved a fruitful venture, Millennials grew up with it, experienced pivotal events through it, and formed long-lasting relationships because of it.

To put it bluntly: Millennials have a deeper connection to the internet and social media than any generation preceding them. As members – and consumers – of the Millennial generation, they know what their peers want to see, when they’ll be active, and how to engage with them in a meaningful way.

More Accurately Targeted Social Posts

Millennials know who likes what, to what extent, and where to find them instantly. You’ve probably figured this out by now, too. The difference is the way they can reach out to them.

Millennials are talked about constantly. They’ve been forced into a lot of corners already, having to defend their generation against a litany of accusations. Because of this, Millennials have had to do tons of research to keep up with grievances, research on different segments of the population, more deeply understanding people – sometimes surfacing with things you might not have considered.

Brainstorming with a younger team can lead to revelations about your targeted efforts – interests and groups that you never thought to be a meeting ground for your target audience.

Better Engagement

Speaking to people whom you don’t share many interests with can be difficult, however Millennials have to time and again to reach a level of acceptance with older generations. They know the language to use, the tools to fuel their message, and the places where it will be seen.

This intrinsic understanding of people within, and outside, their generation can give your social media presence the boost it needs to get you more followers, readers, and buyers.

Platform Adaptability

It seems like every day there’s some new social platform touting the death of Facebook. It’ll never happen. Millennials, however, are far more open to experiment with new ideas and social media platforms as they roll out. As their friends try out the latest video streaming app, they’re all-but-guaranteed to give it a spin, too.

Not afraid to dive straight into the deep-end, Millennials are quick to grasp how a platform works. They’ll probably have a good understanding of how to reach audiences quicker. And, even if your team isn’t the most creative, you’ll have a presence on a new platform before competition notices.

Masters of Microcontent

So we know Millennials spend a lot of time on social media, but how are they accessing it? According to findings in the 2016 U.S. Cross-Platform Future in Focus, just about 80 percent of social media is accessed from a smartphone.

What’s that mean?

Since Millennials are always on the move, this means they’re thinking, typing, snapping a photo, or recording a video on their toes. In a word, they’re quick to think of ways to share information in an easily digestible format.

Since many Millennials post consistently, they’re typically in the mindset to develop micro-copy to cause a specific reaction or outcome. They’re already seasoned professionals at it – no tweet editing necessary before sending them aflutter. Your organization will save a lot of time and money leaving microcontent in the hands of your Millennial team.

Keeping Relevant

Born into a world of instant access to information, news, and pop culture, Millennials have the ability to see an event and create a post that harkens to the event or emotions tied to it. They know what will trend before Facebook does, and they know how to get people excited about it.

Having a Millennial staff of social media gurus gives you an edge in creating viral posts about topics nowhere near your radar, but whose mention can yield incredible results.

Social Freedom = Better Results

Attached to relevancy is the freedom (within reason) to let your social media team craft a tone and engage with followers unfettered. Not to mention the points you’ll score for having a more flexible working arrangement.

PwC study results confirm that Millennials value greater flexibility, appreciation, and team collaboration. If you show trust – and they prove to be trustworthy – you’ll have yourself a stellar team ready to elevate your social media presence to the next level.

As Millennials grow, there’s no time to write them off and shut them out. As a generation, they are the gatekeepers of the Internet. They understand it in a way older generations simply cannot. And, with the right motivation and leadership with them, they’ll prove beneficial to your organization and campaigns.